
































K 









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SECOND 


SCIENCE READER 


BY 

L. MAE NELSON --VIRDEN 
> *» 




A. Flanagan, Publisher. 




TE\W 1 

.S3V6 


COPYRIGHT 1896, 
BY 

L. MAE Y1RDEN 



$AX 


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INDEX 






PAGE 

Ant’s Appearance and Work, The. 32 

Ant’s Food, The. 36 

Apexes, Bases and Margins. 66 

Autumn Day, The. 104 

Base of Leaves, The. 67 

Bee, The. 17 

Bee’s Home, The. 20 

Bee’s Work, The. 23 

Bird’s Appearance, The. 106 

Birds’ Enemies. 139 

Birds’Nests.. 112 

Birthday, A. 152 

Bluebird, The. 124 

Bobolink, The. 131 

Butterfly and the Moth. 141 

Caterpillar, The. 147 

Cocoon, The. 150 

Elm Tree, The. 83 

Flowers, The. 91 

Frog, The. 7 

Grass. 101 

Grasshopper, The. 14 

Growth of a Morning Glory Seed. 50 

Growth of the Morning Glory Plant. 53 

Home of the Aunt, The. 31 




























INDEX. 


Leaf, The. 62 

Maple Tree, The. 88 

Margin of Leaves. 67 

Migration of Birds. 109 

More About the Spider. 45 

Morning Glory Bud and Flower, 'ihe. 56 

Morning Glory Seed, The . 49 

Oak Tree, The. 77 

Owl, The. 135 

Pussy Willow,' The. 75 

Robin, The. 116 

Sparrow, The. 122 

Spider, The. 38 

Spider’s Home, The . 40 

Strawberry, The. 95 

Swallow, The. 119 

Toad, The. 12 

Venation.. . . 64 

Violet, The. 98 

Willow, The. 70 

Willow Twig, The . . 73 

Woodpecker, The. 127 
























SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


THE FROG. 

We hear the frogs croaking and 
know that spring is here. 

Let us go down to the creek and 
find some frog’s eggs. 

They look like a mass of jelly and 
we will find them on the surface of 
the water. 

“Oh! here are some frog’s eggs,” 
said John, as he carefully lifted a mass 
of jelly-like substance from the sur¬ 
face of the water with his net. 

“Let us see what will come from 
this mass of jelly,” said Mary. “We 
will take it home and watch it very 
closely.” 



8 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The children watched their treas¬ 
ure, and one afternoon a few days 
after they had found it, Mary saw 
that one of the eggs had turned into 
something with a large head and a 
tail. 

It had no legs and did not look one 
bit like a frog. 

The children called this little ani¬ 
mal a tadpole. Soon there were many 
little tadpoles in the water. 

The tadpole is sometimes called a 
polliwog. It looks something like a 
fish, and can not live out of the water. 

One day, while the children were 
looking at the tadpole, two little legs 
came from its body. 

Mary and John thought the little 
animal very interesting, and watched 
it closely every day. The child¬ 
ren found that, as its body and legs 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


9 


grew longer, its tail grew smaller and 
smaller, until it disappeared. 

John thought the tail dried up and 
dropped off, but Mary has not yet 
made up her mind just where the 
tadpole’s tail did go. 



Much to the children’s surprise, 
one morning the tadpole had two 
front legs and was outside of the 
water. 

It looked so much like a frog that 


10 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


morning, that they have called it a 
frog ever since. 

While Mr. Frog was a tadpole or 
polliwog he could not breath outside 
of the water. 

The frog must have plenty of 
water, so it nearly always lives near 
a stream or body of water. When 
the sunlight is very hot the frog hides 
from its glare. 

The skin of the common frog is 
perfectly smooth and varies in color; 
it is reddish, yellowish or greenish 
brown above, and of a lighter color 
beneath. 

It takes five years for a frog to 
grow its full size, and some frogs live 
fifteen years. 

Although frogs are good swimmers, 
they spend most of their time on the 
land. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


11 


Their hind legs are very long and 
they are good at leaping. 

All frogs have their hind feet 
webbed. 

The frog’s tongue is fastened at 
the front instead of at the back of its 
mouth. It is covered with a sticky 
substance. In catching insects the 
tongue is darted out and back so 
quickly that you can hardly see it. 
There is something on the frog’s 
tongue which makes the insects stick 
to it. The frog swallows insects 
without waiting to chew them. 

The frog has teeth on its upper 
jaw and can eat fish as well as insects. 

The tree frog is different from the 
common frog. It is small, and either 
green or brown in color. 

There are little sticky knobs on the 
ends of the toes of the tree frog, 


12 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


which help it to cling to the leaves 
and branches of trees. 

In the winter frogs bury them¬ 
selves in the mud at the bottom of 
pools of water. When warm weather 
comes they awake from their long 
winter’s sleep. 


THE TOAD. 



The body of the toad is more puffy 
than that of the frog. 

Its hind legs are shorter than those 
of the frog, so it can not jump as 
far as the frog can. 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


13 


The toad’s skin is rough and it has 
ugly warts all over its back. 

The tongue of the toad, like that of 
the frog, is fastened at the front in¬ 
stead of at the back of the mouth. 

The toad has no teeth on the upper 
jaw, so it must live on insects. 

The toad buries itself in the ground 
before the cold of winter. 


14 


SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 


THE GRASSHOPPER. 



Let each of us find a 
living grasshopper to¬ 
day and look at it very 
carefully. 

There are many of 
them in the fields these 
bright, warm days. 

Some grasshoppers are 
brown and some are 
green. 

It is not easy to 
find the brown grass¬ 
hoppers when they are 
on the ground, because 
they are ,so nearly the 
color of the grass. 

The green grasshopper 
can hide in the green 
grass. 

The grasshopper has 






SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


15 


three parts to its body—the head, 
thorax and abdomen. 

The shape of the head is oblong, 
and is attached to the thorax by 
means of a thin skin. 

The wide collar back of the head 
is called the prothorax. It protects 
the head. 

The legs and wings of the grass¬ 
hopper are attached to the thorax. 

Can yon find the thorax ? The 
thorax is divided into parts. Can you 
make a picture of the grasshopper’s 
thorax ? 

Do you see the rings around the 
grasshopper’s abdomen ? Count them. 
How many rings did you find ? 

There are little holes on either side 
of the grasshopper’s body, called 
pores, through which it breathes. 
There are twenty-seven of them. 


16 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


See if you can find all the little pores. 

The grasshopper can not be 
drowned by putting its head under 
water. Why not ? 

The grasshopper has two large, 
compound eyes. You can hardly 
help seeing them. Under each of the 
compound eyes it has a single eye. 
The grasshopper has another single 
eye, too. Can you find it? Yes, it 
is between and below the antennae. 

The grasshopper’s antennae, or feel¬ 
ers, are fastened to its head. They 
are very long and are used for feel¬ 
ing. 

The grasshopper moves its jaws 
from side to side. Does it not move 
them in a queer sort of way? Watch 
the grasshopper eat a piece of grass. 
Does the grasshopper eat anything 
else? 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


17 


The grasshopper has three pair of 
legs. 

See its long hind legs. These help 
it to leap very far. 

The covers of the wings are long and 
narrow. The grasshopper carefully 
folds its pretty, thin wings under these 
covers. 

What does the grasshopper do ? 
Did you ever listen to the singing of 
the grasshopper? 

The grasshopper has a pretty cousin 
that only sings at night. That cousin’s 
name is “Katydid.” 


THE BEE. 

The body of the bee is divided into 
three parts—head, thorax and abdo¬ 
men. We can see two little stems or 
feelers coming from the bee’s head. 
They are called antennae. 



18 


SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 


The antennsB are used for feeling. 
Did you ever look at th,e grasshopper’s 
antennae ? 

The bee has eyes 
and can see very well. 

The bee’s mouth is 
very interesting. I wish 
you might watch a bee when at work. 
Look at its mouth. The bee moves 
its mouth in the same way as the 
grasshopper does. 

The bee has a long tongue which it 
can thrust into flowers. While the bee’s 
tongue is in the flower it takes from it 
a sweet fluid. 

This fluid in the flower is called 
nectar or honey. 

The bee’s thorax has three rings. 
Its legs and wings are fastened to the 
thorax. 

The bee has three pair of legs. 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


19 


They are not like the grasshopper’s 
legs. If yon look closely at the bee’s 
hind legs you will find a little three- 
sided kind of a basket fastened to 
each of them. These little baskets 
are only on the bee’s hind legs. We 
will learn soon how they use these 
little baskets. 

The bee has two pair of wings. 

The abdortien of the bee has eleven 
rings around it.. 

There are some tiny openings on 
the sides of the bee’s body, through 
which the bee breathes. Can a bee 
be drowned by putting its head under 
water ? Why not ? 

There are three kinds of honey 
bees—queens, drones and workers. 
The wings of the queen bee are 
smaller than those of the drones and 
workers. The queen bee moves 


20 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


very slowly and looks very proudly. 

The drones are the lazy bees. They 
do not work but they buzz and hum. 
They are larger than the other bees 
and are very pretty. They can not 
sting you. 

The queen bees and workers may 
sting you if they are not treated 
kindly. 

The busy bee is the worker. It is 
smaller than the drone and not so 
pretty. 

THE BEE’S HOME. 

The bee’s home is called a hive. 

The bees living in a hive are called 
a swarm. 

People, who live together in a 
home, are called a family. 

Only one queen or mother bee lives 
in a hive. 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


21 


Many drones and many workers 
live together in the same hive. 

How many bees do you think live 
in a hive? 



There may be many thousands. 

Do you think it is hard for so many 
of them to have pure air in a hive ? 

Bees must have fresh air in their 
hives as well as we in onr homes. 

I will tell you how they keep the 
air in their hives pure. 


22 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The bees take turns in staying at 
the bottom of the hive and moving 
their wings; in this way they keep 
the air in motion. 

The motion of their wings keeps 
the air fresh all the time. 

The little bees can not live in im¬ 
pure air. 

The bees keep their hives very 
neat and clean. 

If one of the bees die in the hive 
the others carry its body out of the 
hive. 

The bees are very careful not to 
have any little holes in their hives. 

If they find a little hole, they care¬ 
fully put wax all over it so as to keep 
the wind from blowing into it. 

The bees are very good to the 
queen and treat her kindly. They 
are always very kind to the baby 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


23 


bees. The workers make the baby 
bees little six-sided cribs and bring 
food to them. 

THE BEE’S WORK. 

The bee starts out early in the 
morning to drink the nectar or honey 
from the flowers. 

The worker bee is busy all the day. 
It flies from flower to flower, working 
all the time. 

Do you know what flowers the bee 
likes best? The bee may be seen 
drawing the nectar from the morning 
glory. The bee likes the clover very 
well, too. George thinks the bee 
likes the flowers that wear bright and 
pretty colors. 

Some flowers are marked with nec¬ 
tar lines. The nectar lines point to 
the nectar tube. 


24 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The nectar lines seem to have been 
put on the flowers to help the bee to 
find the nectar tubes. 



The violet and pansy have pretty 
nectar lines. Can you think of some 
other flower that has nectar lines ? 

Can the bee smell the sweet 
flowers? Yes, the bee can scent the 
sweet flowers a long distance. 

Can the bee get nectar from all 
flowers? Watch the bee and see if it 
goes to every flower for nectar. 

The bee gathers something else 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


25 


besides nectar, when he visits the 
flowers. Do you know what it is ? 

I am sure you have seen the yellow 
pollen dust on the stamens and pistils 
of flowers. When the bee is gather¬ 
ing the nectar from the flower, it gets 
its head and wings pretty well cov¬ 
ered with pollen dust. The bee does 
not like to have its head and pretty 
wings covered with pollen dust. With 
its front legs, the bee passes the pol¬ 
len on to the middle pair of legs and 
then carefully packs it into the little 
baskets on the hind legs. 

This pollen dust the bee mixes with 
a juice from its own body, and from 
the mixture it makes little six-sided 
boxes in the hive. These little six- 
sided wax boxes are called honey¬ 
comb. 

When the bee has had its break- 


26 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


fast of nectar, it gathers more nectar, 
which it carries home and puts into 
the six-sided box it has made. The 



bee likes honey or the nectar it has 
gathered from the flowers. So you 
see the little worker bee is kept busy 
making six-sided boxes and filling 
them with honey. 

The bee has to carry a great deal 
of honey to the hive to fill the honey¬ 
comb. Do you think the bee can fill 
one six-sided box with honey in a day? 

Does the bee ever lose its way back 
to the hive? No, when the bee gets 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


27 


ready to go back to the hive, from, the 
field, it can always find its way. The 
bee always passes through the air in 
a straight line to its hive. Did you 
ever hear anything about a “bee line?” 

When the bee has filled one of the 
six-sided boxes with honey it makes 
another little box to fill. 

Do you think the bee ever gets 
tired working ? Henry thinks the 
worker bee does get tired, as it works 
all of the time. 

What becomes of the honey and the 
honey-comb the bee makes ? Frank 
says he thinks part of it is taken out 
of the hive, and used for food. Honey 
is used for food and many people are 
very fond of it. 

The men do not take all the honey 
from the bees. They leave some 
honey in the hive for the baby bees, 


28 


SECOND SCIENCE READER, 


and some for winter use, too. If they 
took all the honey away, what would 
become of the bees? They would 
starve, for they cannot gather honey 
in winter. Why can not the bees 
gather honey in winter ? It is then 
too cold for them to leave their hives, 
and there are no flowers from which 
to gather honey. All of the bees do 
not live through the winter. 

I wish all the boys and girls would 
watch the little bees this year. Watch 
them very carefully, and see what you 
can learn from them. Would you 
miss the bees if they did not buzz and 
hum for you this summer ? 

Do you think the flowers like to 
have the bees come and visit them ? 
Yes, they seem to nod their pretty 
heads as if inviting the bees to come 
and see them? The bees make the 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


29 


little flowers very happy by visiting 
them. The flowers always have a cup 
of nectar for the bees when they come 
to see them. 

Sometimes the bee rubs the pollen 
of the flower on its head and wings. 
When the bee has the pollen of 
one flower on its head and wings 
and visits another flower, what do 
you think happens? Yes, it gets the 
pollen of the second flower mixed 
with the pollen of the first flower. 

Do you think that mixed pollen 
makes as good wax? Yes, the wax 
is just as good. 

Do you think one pretty flower 
likes to have the pollen of another 
flower scattered over it ? 

Watch a bee and see if it is carry¬ 
ing pollen from one flower to an¬ 
other. Bees are of great use in 


30 


SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 


carrying pollen from flower to flower. 
In this way the bee helps to ripen the 
seeds, as the flowers can not form 
seeds without pollen. 

Is there pollen on all flowers? No, 
on some flowers there is no pollen, 
and these might die if the bee did not 
carry pollen to them on its body 
and wings. 

Some flowers, that have pollen, also 
borrow pollen from their neighbors. 

Do you not think that the bee is 
very kind to act as a little messenger 
for the flowers ? 

There are other insects that help 
carry pollen. 

The wind carries pollen, too. 


SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 


31 


THE HOriE OF THE ANT. 

The ant is an insect easily found 
in the summer time. Although the 
ant is a very common insect, we may 
learn much about it. 

There are many different species of 
ants, but we will talk of the one most 
common to us. These ants live in a 
home called an ant colony. 

The homes, or nests of the ants are 
built in the shape of mounds a few 
inches high. They are made of pieces 
of wood, dead leaves, straw, clay and 
earth. 

The nests may be found in the 
ground, in trees, or in walls. They 
are made in flats, connected by nar¬ 
row passages. The best rooms are 
all down cellar. They have no win- 


32 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


clows in tlieir homes, and the doors 
are holes in the roof. 

They like to live in the dark. 



■ Tr 



THE ANT’S APPEARANCE AND WORK. 


, Three different kinds of ants 
^ live in an ant colony. In study- 
H N i n g the bee, wo found that 
worker bees, drones, and a 
queen bee live in one hive. In an 
ant colony there are male ants, female 
ants and neuter ants. 

The body of the ant is divided into 
three parts, the same as that of the 
bee. These parts are the head, the 
thorax and the abdomen. Ants are 
dark brown in color. 

The ant has large, compound eyes 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


33 


and can see very well. It has a keen 
sense of smell, too 

It is said the ant never loses its 
way back to the ant colony. It scents 
its way home. 

The ant has two long antennae. The 
antennae are nsed by some insects for 
feeling, but the ant also seems to use 
them in talking the ant language. 
Watch the ant use its antennae. 

The mouths of the female and 
neuter ants are larger than those of 
the male ants. 

The neuters and females have 
stings which they use when they are 
afraid of being hurt. 

The male and female ants have two 
pair of thin wings. The neuter ants 
have no wings. 

When the female begins to lay 
eggs she loses her wings. She then 


34 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


stays at the nest all the time and has 
no need of wings. 

As the worker bee has most of the 
work to do in the bee-hive, so the 
neuter ant has to do the work in the 
ant colony. 

The neuters have to make the nest 
or home and keep it in order. 

They obtain the food for the colony 
and act as nurses. The neuters take 
care of the eggs and the larvae. The 
larvae comes from the eggs and soon 
change to baby ants. These hard¬ 
working neuters take the eggs and 
larvae out into the sun every day. 

If we watch the ant colony care¬ 
fully we can see the neuters carrying 
the eggs and the larvae into the 
sunshine. If the weather should 
grow cold, or if rain should begin to 
fall, the neuters hurry and carry 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 35 

the eggs and larvae back into the 
warmest room of their home. They 
are very kind nurses. 

Some of the neuters act as soldiers. 
It is their duty to watch and keep 
away the enemies of all the ants in 
the colony. 

The soldiers have larger jaws than 
the other neuters. How do you think 
they keep the enemies from the ant 
colony? What enemies might want 
to enter the ant colony ? Other ants 
and insects come to visit the ant 
colony sometimes. The soldiers will 
not let them in if they can help it. 

The ant, like the bee, helps in 
carrying pollen from flower to flower. 


36 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


THE ANT’S FOOD. 

What does the ant eat ? The neuter 
ants are so busy taking care of the 
eggs and babies, we wonder when 
they have time to gather food. It is, 
however, a part of their work to bring 
food to the colony. 

Ants like animal food. They eat 
other ants and insects. Some species 
of ants have been known to eat large 
animals. Ants are very fond of sugar. 
They like anything that is sweet. 

They are very fond of some kinds 
of fruits. Have you ever noticed how 
quickly they eat the pulp of a pear ? 
If you put a piece of sweet fruit near 
their colony it will soon be covered 
with ants. 

Have you ever heard of the ant’s 
cow? It is a very queer cow, and 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 37 

you will have to look very closely to 
see it. 

The cows of the ants are little green 
plant lice. You can find these little 
insects on the green leaves of house 
plants. Put some of them with an 
ant and see what the ant will do. 

How do the ants spend the winter? 
Did you ever see them carry food ? 

The little ant is a very interesting 
insect, and we can learn many useful 
lessons from it. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


THE SPIDER. 



Spiders are found in 
^ almost every part of 
the world. 

There are many dif¬ 
ferent kinds of spiders. 

We can not properly 
call the spider an insect. 

We have studied some insects and 
found that they have three parts to 
their bodies—the head, the thorax, 
and the abdomen. 

The head and the thorax of the in¬ 
sect are not united in the way the 
head and the thorax of the spider 
are. 

Insects have six legs, but the spider 
has eight. 

The spider’s body is short and 
broad and its jaws are strong. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


39 


On each side of the mouth is a 
strong curved fang. 

The spider has teeth on both the 
upper and the lower jaw. 

There is something that looks like 
a pair of legs, attached to each side 
of the spider’s mouth. We will call 
these the hairy feelers. 

The spider has eight eyes. Can you 
find them? They are in the fore 
part of the head. 

Most spiders have seven-jointed 
legs. The legs are covered with hairs, 
bristles and spines. Many spiders 
have a kind of a pad, covered with 
hairs, on the under side of their feet. 
This pad helps the spider to run over 
smooth, vertical surfaces. 

Some spiders are very beautifully 
colored. 


40 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


THE SPIDER’S HOHE. 

The spider’s home is called a web. 

Surely we have all seen a spider’s 
web. Do you think a spider’s web is 
pretty? 

When you learn how hard the 
spider works to make its web, I am 
sure you will like it better. 

Have you ever broken a spider’s 
web ? 

I wonder how the little spider felt 
when it found its web broken. 

At first the spider chooses a place 
in which to build its web. Where 
have you found spiders’ webs ? Yes, 
they may be found in trees, in fence 
corners and in houses. 

The shape of the spider’s web is 
not always the same. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 41 

The spider only spins one thread at 
a time. 

Do you wonder how the spider 
carries the thread from one place to 
another? The spider lets the wind 
help do this work. 

The wind carries the spider from 
one tree to another, and helps it go 
from one side of the web to the other. 
They place their bodies so that their 
heads point with the wind. The 
spider watches the wind very closely. 
Can you tell which direction the wind 
is coming from to-day ? Which way 
is it going ? 

The spider makes the outside edge 
of the web first. 

We will call this the margin of the 
web. 

The spider then spins a diagonal 
line across the enclosed space. After 


42 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


the spider crosses the open space 
once, it comes back on the silken 
thread to the center. 


Do yon wonder how the spider 
can find the center ?• 



The spider then carries another 
line from the center to the margin of 
the web, and fastens it a short dis¬ 
tance from the first line. 

The spider then again goes back to 
the center on the same line it lias 
just spun. It then takes another line 










SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


43 


to the margin and fixes it a little 
way from the last line it spun. 

The spider keeps right on in this 
way until its web looks like a wheel- 

When the wheel is made, the spider 
returns to the center of the web and 
begins to make it stronger by going 
around and around the center. 

Every time it goes around the cen¬ 
ter of the web it fastens a little 
silken thread to the different lines. 

The spider makes each one of these 
silken thread circles a little farther 
from the center. 

Look at the spider’s web, after it 
is finished, and see if you can count 
the number of circles. 

In the making of their webs, the 
spider uses the fourth pair of legs for 
drawing the threads tight. 

The caterpillar spins its cocoon 


44 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

from its head, but the spider spins its 
web from spinnerets placed under the 
abdomen. 

The spinnerets are like hollow 
bristles with large bases. 

From the end of each spinneret 
there comes a very fine thread. All 
the threads from the spinnerets unite 
and form one silk thread. 

So, you see the one thread the 
spider uses to build its web is made 
of many very fine threads. This silk 
thread is formed from a sticky matter. 
The threads dry as soon as they are 
drawn out. 

The spider’s foot has three claws. 
One claw acts as a sort of thumb. 
The others are toothed like a comb. 
It is supposed that these combs are 
used to keep the web from tangling. 
The spider is very careful to keep 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


45 


its home in order. If its web gets 
broken the spider goes right to work 
and mends it. 

Most spiders are great spinners. 
They spin a web for two purposes. 
The spider’s web is its home, and it 
also serves as a trap in which to 
catch its food. 


MORE ABOUT THE SPIDER. 

Some spiders feed on insects. 

They catch them in their webs, but 
some spiders catch insects when they 
are away from their webs. They 
must be very quick to catch an insect 
when it is moving. 

The “trap-door” spider makes a 
hole in the earth. It lines the hole 
with silk and covers it over with a 



46 


SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 


woven silk lid. This lid is a web, and 
many insects are caught in it. 

Some spiders jump at an insect and 
catch it before it knows the spider is 
near. Sometimes the spider runs 
after an insect and catches it in that 
way. 



One kind of a spider spins its web 
at night on the lower branches of 
trees and in this way catches many 
insects. 






SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


47 


Spiders are great drinkers. They 
suffer if they cannot have water. 

Spiders are very clean as well as 
very cunning. The common spider 
may often be seen brushing and 
cleaning its forehead and eyes with 
its hairy feelers. 

You may often hear of the skillful 
spider. What do you think that 
means ? 



The spider spins a very pretty 
cocoon in which to lay its eggs. 

It first spins the lower half of the 
cocoon and into the silken cup drops 
the eggs. It then finishes spinning 
the cocoon. 



48 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


Spiders are very careful of their 
eggs and are kind to the little spiders. 

The little spiders look much like 
the old ones, except that their color 
and markings are prettier. 

The only food the very small spider 
has is moisture. 

The spider has a great many 
enemies. 

Can you think of some of its enemies? 

Birds, lizards and earth worms eat 
spiders. 

I know some one else who is the 
enemy of the spider. 

This enemy does not eat the spider. 
Do you know whom I mean ? 

The little boy or girl who steps on 
the spider is its enemy. 

I wonder if you ever did such a 
thing. 

Now you know more about the 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


49 


spider and I am sure yon will treat 
it more kindly. 

The spider can teach us many les¬ 
sons and that of patience is one of 
them. 

THE MORNING GLORY SEED. 

Here are some little black seeds 
that we are going to study. 

I wish you had some seeds in your 
hand like the seeds you see in the 
picture. 

They are morning glory seeds. 


Put your morning glory seeds in 
water for one day and see what will 
happen to them. 

Take one of the seeds you have 
soaked and open it carefully with a 
pin. 



50 


SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 


When you take off the black coat 
you will find a white skin and two 
little leaves all crumpled up. 

What else do you find? I will tell 
you no more, but hope you will look 
closely and see for yourself. 


GROWTH OF A MORNING GLORY SEED. 

After a morning glory seed has 
soaked for two or three days, look at 
it again and you will see a little 
sprout about one-half an inch long. 

Look at the seed carefully for it 
has a pretty story to tell you. 

The black coat is gone and the two 
little leaves are larger. 

Where was this plant before the 
seed sprouted ? It was packed away 
in the seed very snugly and tightly. 

Do you know why the little plant 
was so snugly packed away ? 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


51 


George says the black skin was the 
plant’s little house and it was packed 
in this nice warm house to keep it 
from being frozen. 

What would happen to the little 
plant if it did not have a warm house 
in the winter? Yes, it might have 
been frozen and then it could never 
have grown. 

Do you know what made the little 
seed grow when you put it in the 
water ? 

The little plant must have food and 
when you looked at the w;ater-soaked 
seed you must have seen its food. 

Frank thinks it was the jelly that 
he saw near the leaves, and he is 
right. The little plant’s food is this 
jelly, that was packed away in the 
seed. 

Who packed the food in the little 


52 


SECOND SCIENCE READER 


house for the baby plant ? It was a 
kind mother that made ready this 
food for the tiny plant. 

The house is so very small that the 
mother could not pack any food but 
jelly. The baby plant needed water 
to make the jelly thin so it could use 
it and grow. 

The baby plant also needs warmth 
and air to make it sprout. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


53 


GROWTH OF THE MORNING GLORY 
PLANT. 

r We will put some morning 
glory seeds in the earth and 
see what they will do. How 
will the little plant get 
through such a load of earth? 

Were you ever put under 
anything heavy? John was 
under some straw. Did he back out 
or come out face first? He backed 
out, and that is just what a part of 
the morning glory plant does. 

What part of the plant can be seen 
above the earth ? The little plant 
stem is first seen and this is called the 
radicle. 

The seed leaves that grow on the 
radicle are called the cotyledons. 

Between the cotyledons we find a 
small bud. This little bud is called 


54 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


the plumule. We will leave the 
little plumule to grow while we take 
up some morning glory plants and see 
what they have been doing under the 
ground. 


The little root which 
grows down into the 
earth does not have 
leaves and it is not so 
pretty as the stem. 
Why does it grow down 
in the earth? 

The young plant is 
fed by the earth, the 
sun, the air, and the water. 

Draw a picture of the first leaves or 
cotyledons of the baby morning glory. 

Above the cotyledons is a little 
stem which is the beginning of the 
morning glory vine. Notice the next 
leaves that grow on the morning glory 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


55 


vine, and see if they are the same 
shape as the cotyledons. 

The morning glory 
leaves grow opposite 
each other on the 
vine, which some¬ 
times grows very high, 
and always likes to 
twine around some¬ 
thing. 

Have you planted 
a morning glory seed 
at home? I wonder how high your 
morning glory vine will climb ? 



56 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

THE HORNING GLORY BUD AND 
FLOWER. 

We will now study the pretty part 
of the morning glory plant. 

Some day when you look at the 
morning glory vine you will see little 
green buds, from which will come 
leaves and flowers. 

We will study the flower bud this 
time. How many days after the 
flower bud comes before the flower 
will be open ? 

The green outside cup of the morn¬ 
ing glory is called the calyx. What 
becomes of the calyx when the flower 
opens ? Remember that the calyx is 
the base of the flower. 

Count the little green leaves in the 
calyx. The calyx is put there to pro¬ 
tect the more delicate parts of the 
flower. The pretty, bright part of 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 5 1 

the flower is called the corolla. The 
corolla is shaped like a bell or funnel. 



The morning glory corollas are of 
many different colors. We have seen 


58 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


white, blue, pink and purple morning 
glory corollas. What color is the 
corolla of your morning glory? Do 
you not think they are pretty flowers? 

The morning glory always blooms 
early in the morning and a blossom 
only lasts for a few hours. 

Let us look inside the corolla of 
the morning glory and see what is 
there. We see a little stalk in the 
middle with a sticky top. It is called 
the pistil. There is a little green 
lump at the base of the pistil. 

All around the pistil are little 
stalks with white knobs on their tops. 
These little stalks are called stamens 
and the knobs are covered with white 
dust. 

If we open a little lump at the 
base of the pistil we shall find that it 
has three small rooms. In each of 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


59 


these rooms is a little white baby 
morning glory seed in bed. Do they 
not look cunning in their tiny beds ? 

What do these baby seeds need to 
make them grow to be useful seeds ? 

If plenty of the white dust we saw 
on the stamens gets on the sticky 
pistil the baby seeds will grow. 

In what way can this white dust 
get on the top of the pistil ? 

The flower needs help for it cannot 
feed the baby seeds alone and we 
wonder who will aid it. What will 
carry the white dust over the pistil? 
Watch and see who visits the morn¬ 
ing glory to help the pretty flower 
feed the baby seeds. 

Mr. Bee, perhaps, will visit the 
morning glory first of all. Mr. Bee 
is looking for honey. As he goes 
down inside the corolla he bumps 


60 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


against the stamens and makes the 
dust fall on the pistil. 

Something else, a brown insect that 
you know about, also helps the flower. 

The ant and the wind each help the 
morning glory do its work. The 
morning glory pays the bee and the 
ant for their labor, in sweet nectar 
that they find at the base of the tube. 
See if you can find this nectar. 

While the bee is getting the nectar 
his coat becomes pretty well covered 
with the dust from the stamens, which 
is brushed off when it rubs against 
the next flower. 

When the pollen gets on the sticky 
top of the pistil the little baby seeds 
begin to grow, and by and by the 
corolla of your morning glory will fall 
off, leaving the little babies to swing 
on the vine. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


61 


Watch their little house. What 
color does it turn ? 

When it turns brown, and com¬ 
mences to get dry, carefully pick it 
off and look at it closely. 



If you open the house you will find 
some little, hard, black seeds, just like 
the ones you planted. 

The roots, stem and leaves have all 
been working to build a plant that 
would bear these little seeds for you. 



62 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


THE LEAF. 

Can we tell the difference between 
a flower bud and a leaf bud ? 

Mary thinks they look just alike. 

There are three parts to a complete 
leaf—the blade, the stem or petiole 
and two small blade-like bodies at the 
base of the petiole, called the stipules. 

Yery often a leaf does not have all 
these parts. 

A leaf may have a blade and petiole 
and no stipules, or a blade and stip¬ 
ules and no petiole. 

Sometimes we may find leaves with 
only a blade. 

When a leaf has no petiole we say 
it is sessile. Try and find some ses¬ 
sile leaves. 

The petiole of some leaves is very 
tender and others have a fiberous 
petiole. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


63 


Mable says the willow leaf has no 
petiole. How many little people 
think the willow leaf is sessile ? 

Let us collect a number of leaves 
and see if we can find their petioles, 
blades and stipules. 

We find the most important part 
of the leaf is its blade, which is 
usually green in color. The top of 
the blade is called its apex and the 
bottom of the blade is called its base. 

Sometimes the leaf turns brown, 
yellow and red. 

We will soon learn why the blade 
of the leaf turns so many different 
colors. 


64 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


VENATION. 

Do you see something that looks 
like little threads running through 
the leaf you have ? 



There is one large rib that runs 
from the petiole to the apex of the 
leaf. This rib is called the mid-rib 
and is the strongest part of the frame¬ 
work of the leaf. 

There are some branches from the 







SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


65 


mid-rib to the edge of the leaf and 
there are other little threads that run 
into these branches. 

All these little threads and branches 
are called veins. 

There are many little blue veins in 
your wrists. Can you see them ? 

Blood passes through the veins 
in your wrist and moisture passes 
through the veins of the leaf. 

Leaves are veined in many differ¬ 
ent ways. 

We have found that all leaves do 
not have three different parts, that 
they are not all of the same shape, 
and now we have learned that leaves 
are not veined alike. 

Draw some pictures of leaves show¬ 
ing how their veins run. 

When the veins branch off from the 
mid-rib, and divide into smaller veins, 


66 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


we say the leaf is net-veined. Find 
some net-veined leaves. 

When the veins of the leaf run 
parallel with each other we say it is 
parallel-veined. 

APEXES, BASES AND MARGINS. 

We know the apex of a leaf means 
the top of the leaf. 

Put all the leaves that have a 
pointed apex in one pile. 



Have you any leaves that look as 
if the apex was cut off? 

As nearly every leaf has a differ¬ 
ent kind of apex, select the prettiest 
leaf and draw a picture of its apex. 



SECOND SCIENCE KEADER. 


67 


THE BASE OF LEAVES. 

Base means the bottom of the leafs 
blade and we find that leaves have 
many different kinds of bases. 

Carefully draw pictures of the differ¬ 
ent bases. 


MARGIN OF LEAVES. 

Leaves have many different kinds 
of edges, too, which we will call their 
margins. 

The margins of some leaves are 
perfectly even. 

Put all the leaves that have even 
margins in one pile. How many of 
these did you find ? 

Some leaf margins are very rough 
and look like the teeth of a saw. 

The maple leaf has big pieces out 
of each side of its blade. Leaves of 
this kind are not easy to draw. Some- 



68 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


times leaves have 
blade 




more than one 
and these are 
called compound leaves. 
When leaves have only 
one blade they are called 
simple leaves. 

Find some compound 
leaves. Yes, the rose 
and clover leaves, are 
compound. 

The study of leaves is 
very interesting so I 
hope you will keep your 
eyes wide open and see 
what the leaves are try¬ 
ing to tell you. 

Leaves are very useful 
for they help the trees to 
give us shade and they 
add grace and beauty to 
both trees and plants. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


69 


Leaves are useful in other ways. 
Can you think of some leaf that is 
useful in some other way ? 

We eat lettuce leaves, and I heard 
somebody say something about a 
palm leaf fan. Yes, that fan is made 
of part of a leaf. 

Tea is made from leaves, and some 
leaves are good for medicine. 

When the leaves fall from the trees 
in autumn they help to keep the little 
flowers and seeds warm. 


70 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

THE WILLOW. 

Willows are trees or shrubs of 
which some are of very small growth, 
while others grow quite high. 

There are many different kinds of 
willows and we find them growing in 
almost every climate. 

The willow most common is not a 
very high tree. 



The main trunk of the tree grows 
about six feet from the ground. 





SECOND SCIENCE READER. 71 

Measure the trunks of a few willow 
trees near the school house. 

The branches leave the trunk of 
the tree a few feet from its base. 

Does the trunk of the willow tree 
grow straight up in the midst of 
the branches ? 

The large branches are very thickly 
covered with smaller branches and 
twigs. 

The bark of the common willow 
tree is rough and brown. 

Some willow trees grow very fast. 

The wood is useful in many ways.. 

Lumber is made from some willow 
trees. 

Some kinds of willow are used for 
making baskets. See if you can find a 
willow basket. They are very common. 

Taste the bark of a willow twig. 
Is it not bitter? There is a useful 


72 SECOND SCIENCE KEADEE. 

medicine made from the bark of some 
willow trees. 

We have now found a good many 
things for which the willow is useful. 

I wonder who can remember all of 
these uses. 

The willow trees make good lum¬ 
ber, baskets, medicine, and are useful 
in other ways. 

You will surely think of one other 
good thing about the willow tree. 

Yes, there are some willows that 
are very pretty. 

We all like the weeping willow. 

It is because it droops so gracefully 
that it is called the weeping willow. 

What is the willow flower we all 
like so well ? The pretty pussy willow. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 73 

THE WILLOW TWIQ. 

We have had a long talk about the 
different kinds of willows. 

Now we will look carefully at a 
twig from the common willow tree. 

Take off the layers of 
bark with a pin. 

How many layers do 
you find? The willow 
twig has two layers of 
bark and the outer layer 
is darker than the inner 
layer. The outer layer 
is smooth and glossy, 
while the inner layer is 
rough and fiberous. 

The pith is woody and tough. The 
willow twig has alternate buds which 
are very small. 

On the bark, between the buds, are 
little red spots. Can you count them ? 



74 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


Do you know the use of these little 
spots ? 

Where did the buds begin to swell ? 

The largest buds are near the top 
of the twig. 

Let us look at some willow leaves 
now. 

The leaves are long, very narrow 
and of a green color. 

Is there a stem on your willow leaf ? 

The stem is very short. 

At the base of the leaf are two 
little leaves, which are called stipules. 

The apex of the willow leaf is very 
pointed. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 75 

THE PUSSY WILLOW. 

The pussy willow is almost the 
first flower we find in the springtime 
and I think it must love to surprise 
us. 

We all love pussy willow because 
she is so pretty, and we also love her 
because she comes to see us so early 
in the springtime. 

Pussy willow lives in a cunning 
little brown house, and as soon as 
the sun makes the air about her warm 
enough she thrusts her head out into 
the air. 

Do you not like to see pussy willow 
when she first puts her head out of 
her house? 

Perhaps she looks out of her house, 
just to see if it is time to come out. 

I wonder who awoke pussy wil¬ 
low ? Maybe it was the spring rain 


16 SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 

drops. Perhaps it was the warm and 
bright sun. Clara thinks it was the 
birds, who awoke pussy willow. Could 
the pussy willow have heard the 
children’s voices and wakened to 
make them happier? 

When pussy willow puts her head 
out of her house the first thing she 
hears is—“Oh! pussy willow has 
come back.” 

I wonder if you ever said that ? I 
heard a little boy say, “Now winter 
is over for pussy willow is here.” 

Is winter always over when pussy 
willow comes? No, sometimes it is 
pretty cold for Miss Pussy, but she 
does not care. 

Pussy willow wears a little white 
hood to keep her warm but, by and 
by, she will take it off and then we 
will see her pretty yellow curls. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


77 


THE OAK TREE. 



What tree do yon think is the most 
beautiful of all forest trees ? 

Frank thinks the elm is the most 
beautiful tree and he likes it best 
because it has such pretty green 
leaves. George thinks the elm is the 
most beautiful tree because its 
branches bend so gracefully. 


78 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


Some people think the oak tree is 
much prettier than the elm tree. 

Boys like oak trees. Oak trees 
look so strong that some boys like 
them better than other trees of the 
forest. 

There was once a people, called 
Druids, who worshipped the oak tree. 

They lived in groves where oak 
trees grew. 

Sometimes the mistletoe grew on 
the oak tree and this made the Druids 
very happy. 

Have you ever heard the poem 
“Rhoecus,” written by Mr. Lowell? If 
you have not heard it, perhaps your 
teacher will read it to you. 

I am sure, after you hear it, you 
will all learn to like the oak tree. 

There are many different kinds of 
oak trees. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


79 


Some oak trees grow very high, 
others grow low, like bushes. They 
like clay soil for their roots. 

The trunk of the oak tree grows to 
a very large size. The main branches 
are large, too. 

The oak tree grows very slowly, 
and it takes many years for it to be¬ 
come a large tree. 

Some oak trees grow very crooked. 
Do you know why ? 

The oak tree of the woods is of 
straight growth, but the oak tree of 
the open field is apt to be crooked. 

The bark of the oak tree is very 
rough. 

The leaves grow alternately and 
they are large and irregular in shape. 
They have a broken margin and a 
pointed apex. 

On some oak trees the leaves are 


80 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


nearly sessile, and on others they 
have long petioles. 

The leaves of the oak tree stay on 
later in the autumn, than those of any 
other tree. They are of a pretty 
green color in the summer, which 
changes to pleasing shades of brown 
and red in the autumn. 

The flowers of the oak trees are 
called catkins. 

Watch for them in the springtime. 

They appear soon after the young 
leaves. 

Acorns are the fruit of the oak 
tree and there are usually two 
acorns together on short stalks. 

The acorn is oblong in form and 
rests in a shallow wooden cup, the 
outside of which is covered with 
short, sharp scales. 

In the autumn acorns fall off the 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


81 


trees. They are sweet, and are good 
food for pigs. The North American 
Indians, it is claimed, used them for 
food. 



The wood of the oak tree is very 
hard and varies in color, some being 
dark brown, and some yellowish 
brown. 

It is used for building bridges, 
ships, wagons, sleighs and barrels. 

The carpenter likes the wood of the 


82 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


young oak tree for making wheels 
and fences. 

Beautiful furniture is made from 
the wood of the oak tree. 

Can you think of something made 
of oak wood ? 

Tables, chairs, book-cases and many 
other useful things are often made of 
oak wood. 

The bark of the oak tree is used by 
tanners. 

Do you know what use the tanners 
make of it? 

Your shoes are made of leather. 
Leather is the skin of the cow or calf 
and has to be tanned before the shoe¬ 
maker gets it. 

There is medicine in the bark and 
branches of the oak tree. 

The oak tree has a few enemies. 
Can you name them? 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


83 


Insects eat the oak leaves and the 
tender branches of the oak tree. 

It is a grand and useful tree. 


THE ELM TREE. 

The beautiful American elm tree is 
of high growth and it spreads its 
branches gracefully. 



The elm tree grows in moist soil 
and its roots reach far down into the 
ground. 




84 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The leaves of the elm tree are of a 
dark green color, and they have very 
short petioles. 

The upper surface of the elm leaf 
is rough, but the lower surface of the 
leaf is soft and downy. 

The leaf blade has a rough edge, 
which looks like the teeth of a very 
fine saw. 

We call the edge of the leaf its 
margin. 

The elm leaf has a serrate 
margin. 

Have you seen other leaves with 
serrate margins? 

Elm leaves do not grow opposite 
each other. 

When leaves grow opposite each 
other, we say the tree or bush has 
opposite leaves. 

When leaves do not grow opposite 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


85 


each other, we say the tree or bush 
has alternate leaves. 

The elm tree has alternate leaves. 



The elm tree has flowers, which 
come in April and May, before the 
leaves appeal*. 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


These flowers are of small size. 

The color of the flowers is purplish 
brown, and they grow in tufts. 

The bark of the elm tree is not 
rough like the bark of the oak. 

If we should look at the color of 
the wood inside of the bark of an elm 
twig, we would find it brownish white. 

After the twig grows a short time 
the wood becomes a brown color, 
having a greenish shade. 

The wood of this tree has no knots. 

Do you like to see knots in lumber ? 

I wonder if the men, who work in 
lumber, like to find it knotty. 

What do we call a man that works 
in lumber ? We call him a carpenter. 

The wood of the elm tree, is hard 
and tough, and can not be polished. 

Elm wood is used for building the 
backs and fronts of ships. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


87 


' Why is the elm wood good for 
ship building? 

There are two reasons why it 
makes good ships; the first is it bends 
nicely without breaking; the second 
and better reason is, that unlike other 
woods it does not easily decay from 
being under water. 

Elm wood is also used for building 
wagon and carriage wheels. 

The inner bark of the elm tree is 
made into mats and ropes, and it also 
furnishes a kind of mucilage. 

This bark also contains medicine. 

Some animals eat the leaves and 
young shoots of the elm tree. 

The elm tree is so ornamental that 
people often plant it near their homes 
as a shade tree. 

There are several different kinds of 
elm trees all of which are useful. 


88 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


Have yon ever seen any mistletoe ? 
At Christmas time you may see it. 

The mistletoe grows on some kinds 
of elm trees. 

The elm may live to a great age. 


THE MAPLE TREE. 

The maple is a very common tree. 
There are many different kinds of 
maple trees. Some maple trees grow 
very high. 

The bark of most maple trees is of a 
light brown color, and is very smooth. 
One kind of maple tree is remarkable 
for the whiteness-of its bark. 

The maple tree makes an excellent 
shade tree and the kind known as the 
“hard maple” is prized highly for its 
beauty as an ornamental tree. 



SECOND SCIENCE READER 


The wood of the maple tree is of a 
fine grain, nearly white, and can be 
highly polished. 



Very beautiful tables, writing-desks 
and other articles of furniture are 
made of this wood, because it is of so 
fine a grain and can be so highly 
polished. 

Have you any furniture, in your 
home made from the wood of the 
maple tree ? 


90 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

The young shoots of the maple 
tree, being flexible and tough, are 
made into whips. 

There is a sap that comes from the 
maple tree, from which sugar is 
made. It is called maple sugar. 

The wood of the maple tree also 
makes good fuel and charcoal. 

Can you make a picture of a maple 
leaf? 

The leaf blade has a pointed apex, 
and it is deeply lobed. 

The maple is one of the first trees 
to blossom in the spring, and in the 
autumn its foliage is beautiful. 

The maple tree lives many years. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


91 


THE FLOWER. 

The little green cup on the outside 
of the flower is called the calyx. 

Calyx means cup. Do you not 
think the calyx looks like a cup? 
Does every flower have a calyx? 

We will see how many flowers we 
can find that have a calyx. 



The violet has a calyx, and so has 
the rose and the morning glory. 

The apple blossom has a calyx. 
Look carefully at it and learn the 
number of parts it has. 

How many parts has the calyx of 
the violet? 


02 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The parts of the calyx are called 
sepals and the violet has five of them. 

The sepals look like little green 
leaves fastened together in a circle. 



Above the calyx is another circle 
of leaves, but they are not of a green 
color. In the apple blossom this 
circle is nearly white. 

This upper circle of leaves is called 
the corolla. 

Some violets have purple and 
others yellow corollas. 

The little parts of the corolla are 
called petals. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


93 


Did yon ever see a flower with a 
green corolla? 

There are some little stalks on the 
inside of the flower, next to the 
carolla, called stamens. 

In the center of the flower is a little 
green stalk called the pistil. 

How many stamens can you find 
in the center of the apple blossom? 

Count the stamens in other flowers 
and see if each has the same number 
of stamens. 

There is a little yellow knob on the 
top of the stamens. 

Touch it carefully. What is on 
your finger ? 

A little yellow dust may come 
off the stamens, which is called 
pollen. 

The pistil has a little sticky knob 
on its top, and when the pollen falls 


94 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


on this sticky knob it is carried down 
to the bottom of the pistil. 

At the bottom of the pistil the little 
baby seeds may be found asleep, and 
the pollen is their food. 

If the pollen did not get on the top 
of the pistil the little baby seed would 
have no food. 

Some insects help the dower to 
carry the pollen over to the pistil. 

Do you know what insects help the 
dowers ? 


SECOND SCIENCE READEK. 


95 ’ 


THE STRAWBERRY. 

I am very glad that Mary brought 
a strawberry plant to school to-day, 
as I want you all to see it. 



I wonder if the strawberry plant 
would grow in the school-room ? 

Have you ever seen a wild straw¬ 
berry plant ? 

Let us look at the strawberry leaf. 
It is a compound leaf. 


' 96 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

A compound leaf is one whose 
blade is divided into leaflets. The 
blade of the strawberry leaf is divided 
into three parts. The blade of the 
clover leaf is also divided into three 
parts. Can yon think of any other 
compound leaves ? 

The clover leaf has a smooth edge, 
but the edge of the strawberry leaf is 
broken. 

The strawberry leaf has a green 
petiole. Can you find the stipules ? 

The strawberry plant is in the 
habit of sending out something that 
looks like a long slender stem with a 
bud at the end. This slender, leaf¬ 
less branch, is called a runner. A 
runner is a creeping and rooting stem. 
As soon as the bud at the end of the 
runner touches the soil it sends 
roots into the ground from which a 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


97 


new plant starts to grow. A few 
strawberry plants will, in a short 
time, cover a large piece of ground. 
Each runner may produce a new 
strawberry plant. During the winter 
the runners die, leaving the young 
plants free. The strawberry blossom 
has five white petals and five green 
sepals. 

In the center of the blossom are the 
stamens and the pistil. 



The fruit of the strawberry is red. 
When ripe it is good to eat. 


98 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

The seeds of the strawberry are 
found on the outside of the fruit. 

Do you like strawberries ? 


THE VIOLET. 



The root of the violet plant is thick 
and woody. Many little white root¬ 
lets grow from the main root. 

The leaves of the violet plant have 
large leafy stipules. The petioles are 
long, green and tender, and the blades 
are heart shaped. 

There are many different kinds of 
violets. 




SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


99 


We have seen blue violets, purple 
violets, white violets and yellow 
violets. 

Violets have a sweet smell. Do 
you like the smell of violets ? 

Violets are generally found in the 
woods, but I have seen violets grow¬ 
ing in the meadows with many other 
flowers. 

The violets seem to like a home in 
some quiet, shady place but it is fond 
of the sunshine, too. 

Do you think the violet likes the 
sunshine as well as the sunflower ? 

The violet has a long, very tender 
peduncle, which breaks easily. 

The peduncle of the violet is a 
pleasing shade of green. 

Do you see the green calyx with 
its five sepals? At the top of the 
petiole, above the calyx, is the corolla, 


100 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

the parts of which are called petals. 
Count them. Yes, every violet has 
five petals. 

If you look closely at the petals of 
the violet and then at those of the 
rose you will find that the rose 
has many more petals than the 
violet. 

One of the violet’s petals is larger 
than the others. There is a nectar 
tube, or spur attached to the base of 
this petal. Look at this largest petal 
carefully, and you will see some nec¬ 
tar lines on it. 

Are there any nectar lines on the 
other petals? 

Nectar lines are usually found on 
three petals. 

What is the use of nectar lines? 

Can you find any nectar lines on 
the petals of the rose ? 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


101 


GRASS. 

One of the first signs of the ap¬ 
proach of spring, is the coming of the 
green grass. 

We would miss the grass sadly if 
there should come a year when it did 
not grow. 



It is such fun to play on the grass. 

Do you like to see the grass grow 
high, or would you rather it would be 
kept cut short ? 

The cow and the horse are very 
fond of grass and the rabbit likes to 
eat it, too. 

Grass grows in almost every part 
of the world. 


102 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


It is even found growing in the 
Arctic regions. 

We can imagine how glad the little 
Eskimo boys and girls are to find 
grass in their cold country. 

Do we have to sow seed every year 
that grass may grow ? 

Ho, grass seed does not need to be 
sown every year, for the roots of the 
grass live in the ground through the 
winter, and from these the leaves 
grow in the spring. 

The birds and the wind help to 
carry and sow seed in the sum¬ 
mer. 

The grass roots are fibrous, and 
creep along closely together for long 
distances underneath the ground. 

The parts of the grass leaf are the 
sheath and the blade. 

The blade is ribbon-shaped with a 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


103 


pointed apex. The edge of the blade 
is entire. 

The grass blade has veins which 
run from the base to the apex. The 
leaf therefore is parallel veined. 

I suppose you have seen grass 
flowers. 

Sometimes in the country the grass 
is let grow until it blossoms. 

In city parks and around city 
homes, the grass is kept cut so close 
to the ground that it has no chance 
to blossom. 

There are many kinds of grass 
flowers. 


to 4 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


THE AUTUMN DAY. 

This picture makes us think of an 
autumn day. 



In the autumn there are very few 
leaves on the trees. We have learned 
that the oak tree is the last to lose 
its leaves. 

Why do the leaves fall from the 
trees in the autumn ? 

When the sap leaves the petioles 
they become dry and the wind then 
breaks them from the trees. 




SECOND SCIENCE READER. 105 

When the days grow colder, the 
sap is drawn from the leaves and 
petioles, through their branches and 
trunks, and stored in the earth cov¬ 
ered roots. 

Do you think the leaves are sorry 
to drop from the trees ? 

Do you think the trees are sorry to 
lose their leaves ? 

Shortly before the leaves fall they 
are the pretty red, yellow and brown 
dresses of the trees. Did you ever 
wonder why the leaves were of so 
many colors in the autumn ? 

Do you think the trees look 
prettier in the spring than they do in 
the autumn? 


106 


SECOND SCIENCE READER 


THE BIRD’S APPEARANCE. 

The body of a bird is covered with 
feathers. 



All birds have two legs, which they 
use for walking, hopping or swimming. 

The bird’s feet are divided into 
toes, but all birds do not have the 
same kind of feet. 

Look closely at a bird’s foot, and 
see how many toes it has. 

The bird walks on its toes. 





SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


107 


There are claws on the toes. Of 
what use are they ? 

No feathers are found on the legs 
of a bird below the heel. 

The bird uses its wings in flying. 

A bird’s tail helps it in flying, 
too. 

A crow has been known to fly one 
hundred miles for its breakfast. 

Do you think it is hard for the bird 
to fly.? 

The pigeon is not heavy, so it can 
fly easily. 

The bones of some birds are hollows 

These birds fly easily because their 
bones are hollow. 

Some birds have very beautiful 
tail feathers. 

Dave you seen the peacock’s tail ? 

Birds have sharp eyes, and the 
eagle can see far away. 


108 SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 

it'. "* ’ 

The bird’s mouth is a hard beak or 
bill. 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


109 


MIGRATION OF BIRDS. 

Birds do not all stay with us the 
entire year. 



When the cold months come many 
birds fly to the south where it is 
warm. 


When birds fly from one place to 
another place that is far away, we 
say they migrate. 





110 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


Do you know why birds migrate to 
the South when cold weather comes ? 

Yes, they will find the same food 
in the South, which they can no 
longer obtain in the Worth. 

There the ground is covered with 
grass, and the flowers are in bloom 
when there is snow and ice in the 
Worth. The birds will find berries 
on the bushes, seeds on the grasses, 
and plenty of insects, in their winter 
home. 

In the springtime the birds return 
to the Worth. 

The same birds often return to the 
spot which they left, although they 
may have traveled many hundreds of 
miles. 

Some birds stay in the Worth all 
winter, and what do you think they 
find to eat ? 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


Ill 


They eat seeds they may find on 
the grasses above the snow and they 
find worms in the trees. 

Do you ever feed the little birds 
that stay with us in the winter? 
They would be very glad to have 
some crumbs. 

The birds that stay in the North in 
the winter wear warmer feather 
di ■esses than the summer birds. 

W e would be very lonely if we had 
no birds. 

Some birds are prettier than others, 
but we like them all. 

All birds are hunters. Can you 
tell why they are hunters ? 

Nearly all birds are builders, con¬ 
structing their own homes. 


112 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


BIRD’S NESTS. 

I wonder which birds are the first 
to return North in the spring, and 
what they do first when they reach 
the North country. 

Yes, they sing to us and seem glad 
to be with us again. 



They next find places in which to 
build their little homes. Notice how 
much care they take in selecting 
places for their nests. 

Some birds take the homes or nests 
of other birds. They do not like to 
build nests, perhaps. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


113 


What birds use old nests ? 

Do you like to watch the birds 
build their nests ? 

They are hard workers and some 
birds make very neat nests. 

They build their nests of string, 
thread, grasses, twigs, feathers and 
hair. 

The outside of the nest is usually 
made of twigs and coarse grass, the 
inside is made much smoother and of 
finer material, and some birds line 
their nests with mud. 

Birds build their nests in various 
places, some birds choosing the trees, 
others the ground, and one kind even 
selecting a chimney for its home. 

Where does the robin build its 
nest ? Let us watch a pair of these 
birds and see where they build their 
home. 


114 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The little’ swallow builds its Rest 
under the eaves of a barn. 

Birds build their nests in different 
ways. Do you know any birds whose 
nest building reminds you of a trade ? 

The swallow is called a mason be¬ 
cause he plasters his nest with mud. 

Did you ever hear of any carpen¬ 
ters among the birds ? I should think 
the woodpecker might he called a 
carpenter. 

The woodpeckers like the dark 
forest for their homes, so we do not 
often see their nests. They first cut 
a small hole in a tree and then bore 
out a nest. Did you ever notice their 
long bills ? These they use as chisel, 
auger, hammer and ax. They have 
such sharp claws that they can easily 
cling to the bark of a tree. 

There is a bird whose nest building 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


115 


would remind you of a weaver. 

The oriole is a very good weaver. 
Its nest is like a deep pocket and so 
closely woven as to be waterproof. 

After the different birds get their 
nests made, watch them and see how 
they care for the eggs and baby birds. 

When the eggs are in the nest the 
mother bird stays at home and takes 
good care of them. 

How does the mother bird get her 
food while she is sitting upon the 
eggs? 

Harry thinks the father bird brings 
it to her, and it is true that he does 
provide her with food while she sits 
upon the eggs. 

Does the mother bird ever go off 
the nest while the eggs are in it ? 

Yes, but she does not stay away 
long. 


116 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The father bird sings to her, while 
she takes care of the eggs, and the 
two seem very happy. 

When the little birds are in the 
nest the father and mother birds take 
good care of them. 

Have yon seen the little birds open 
their months and call for food ? 


THE ROBIN. 



The robin is a very well known 
bird, which comes early in the spring 
and stays until late in the fall. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 117 

It is a large bird, with a red breast, 
the rest of its body being a dark olive- 
gray color. 

Its head and throat are streaked 
with white and black. 

The robin may be seen in the gar¬ 
den every day. It builds its nest, 
near some house, of twigs, string, 
grass and mud. In the spring the 
robin eats strawberries and cher¬ 
ries. The people who own the straw¬ 
berries and cherries do not like to 
have the robin eat their fruit. 

The robin eats insects and worms 
and so keeps them from hurting the 
plants and trees. After the straw¬ 
berries and cherries are gone the 
people are glad to have the robin 
with them. 

Robins seldom pick worms from 
trees. They take them from the ground. 


118 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The robin is a sweet singer and a 
favorite bird with the children. 

A happy robin sat on her nest one 
day, and under her were four lovely 
blue eggs. The robin was very happy 
thinking of the baby birds that were 
soon to come out of the pretty shells. 

When she had to leave the nest 
for food, she would hurry back to it 
as fast as she could, because she loved 
to be near those pretty blue eggs. 

One day she went away for food 
and when she came back her pretty 
little eggs were gone. 

Poor little robin! She was very 
unhappy. 

She had been thinking of the happy 
time she would have with her baby 
robins, and now the eggs were gone. 

What do you think of the boy who 
took those eggs. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


119 


We were very sorry for the 
happy mother robin. 

THE SWALLOW. 



un- 


Tlie common barn-swallow is usual¬ 
ly meant when we speak of the 









120 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


swallow. It is a very lively and wide¬ 
awake little bird. It flies through 
the air so quickly it can hardly be 
seen. 

The swallow is one of the most pa¬ 
tient and hard-working of birds. 

The swallow’s feathers are very 
prettily colored. Its back and wings 
are steel-blue, its forehead and throat 
are red and the under parts are a 
rusty-red. 

Its wings are long and pointed and 
it has a deeply forked tail. 

The swallow never takes the fruit 
but it lives on insects that would 
harm the fruit, and in this way it 
makes itself useful. 

The farmer is very much indebted 
to the swallow for destroying the 
insects. 

The barn-swallow finds a place 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


121 


high up in a barn, or under the eaves, 
for its nest. It makes the outside of 
the nest of straw and sticks. The 
bird then carries moist earth in its 
bill, and carefully spreads this mud 
over the inside of the nest. 

After the mud is well hardened 
the swallow lines the nest with soft 
feathers. 

The swallow is sometimes called a 
mud-mason, because it plasters its 
nest with mud. 

There are usually five or six eggs, 
speckled with gray and orange-brown, 
in a nest. 

The swallow teaches the young 
birds to fly as soon as they are able 
to leave their nest. 


122 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


THE SPARROW. 



The sparrow is a very common 
bird. It is about the size of the 
canary but not so pretty. 

Of our bird musicians, it is the first 
to arrive in the spring and the last to 
leave us in the autumn. 

The sparrow lias a cheerful little 
twitter and is a busy little bird. 

It builds a warm nest of dried 
grass, thread and hair. Its eggs are 
a greenish-blue. 

The sparrow is a brown-backed 
bird with an iron-gray head and neck. 

The sparrow does not harm fruit 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 123 

like the robin, but helps keep it from 
harm. 

Some people think the sparrow 
hurts the fruit, but if you watch care¬ 
fully you will find that its food con¬ 
sists almost wholly of insects. 

The sparrow does not eat as many 
insects, as the swallow. 

The swallow can fly faster than 
most birds, but its legs ars so short 
that it cannot hop as well as the 
sparrow. 

The sparrow hops over the ground 
very quickly and as it does so it 
moves its wings. 

We will watch the sparrows this 
summer and learn more about them. 


124 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


THE BLUEBIRD. 

The bluebird is a favorite Ameri¬ 
can bird. Its coming is watched for 
in the springtime, as one would watch 
for the return of a dear friend. 



The upper parts of the bluebird 
are of a beautiful sky-blue color, the 
throat and breast are reddish-chest¬ 
nut, and the under parts- are white. 

The bluebird’s manner is much like 
that of the robin. 

Its song is soft and sweet. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


125 


It is not an artistic nest builder. 
It builds its nest for comfort and 
warmth rather than for beauty. 

Soon after the nest is built, little 
blue eggs appear, and before long 
the nest is full of downy birds. 

The mother and father take good 
care of the baby birds, and soon they 
are ready to fly away. 

Here is a little story of how one 
bluebird had to work to take care of 
her baby birds. 

Mrs. Bluebird had a large family 
to take care of. Mr. Bluebird, was 
hurt and died, so Mrs. Bluebird had 
to work very hard to feed her four 
babies. 

One day she worked all day, but 
the bugs and worms were well hidden. 
She only found one worm for each of 


126 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


the baby birds, and none for herself. 

“What shall 1 do?” thought 
the poor mother. “My poor little 
babies will starve. I must keep on 
looking for food.” So she flew off 
again and tried very hard to find 
some worms. 

At last, so weak and tired she 
could hardly fly, she was hopping 
along the ground and met Mr. Spar¬ 
row. 

“ I guess there are not many worms 
to be found to-day,” said Mrs. Blue¬ 
bird. “I have looked everywhere 
and have found no food.” 

“Oh,” said Mr. Sparrow, “I know 
where you can find some food. I 
have found a barn full of the nicest 
grain. Come with me and I will 
show it to you.” 

So Mr. Sparrow took Mrs. Blue- 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 127 

bird where she could find something 
to eat. 

Mrs. Bluebird thanked Mr. Spar¬ 
row for his kindness, and hurried to 
get some food for the baby bluebirds 
and for herself. 


THE WOODPECKER. 

Next to the robin, bluebird or 
barn-swallow, few birds are better 
known than the woodpecker. 

Woodpeckers are very timid birds, 
and always live in forests, where they 
seem to be at home anywhere from 
the tallest tree top to the ground. 
They are always in a hurry. 

Woodpeckers are bright colored 
birds. They are striped and spotted 
with black, white, brown, green and 
orange, and usually have a scarlet 
crown. 



128 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


A woodpecker has a strong beak 
or bill, which it uses when boring 
into the trees. 



The woodpecker’s eyes are bright. 

It has two sharp claws, in front 
and behind, so it can cling to the 
bark of a tree, whether its head is up 
or down. 

The woodpecker eats insect food, 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


129 


the same as the robin and sparrow. 
It likes ants better than any other 
insects. 

The woodpecker bores into the 
bark and wood of trees for insects 
and grubs. When an insect or grub 
is reached by the boring, it is drawn 
out by the tongue. 

The woodpecker’s tongue is slim 
and long, and there are little hooks 
on its sharp point. There is a sticky 
substance on the end of the tongue 
that the insect adheres to. 

In the autumn the woodpecker eats 
wild grapes and elderberries. 

Did you ever hear the woodpecker 
tapping on the tree with his hard, 
sharp beak? It says, “rat-a-tat-tat.” 

The woodpecker pecks a hole in 
the trunk or branch of some decayed 
tree and makes that its nest. It first 


130 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


makes a passage to the heart of the 
tree, then downward for nearly a foot. 
The nest is lined with fine chips. Of 
course, the woodpecker’s nest is not 
pretty, but it is warm, and the baby 
woodpeckers are protected from the 
rain. 

The baby woodpeckers are dull in 
color, and are marked beneath with 
bars and spots, shaped like arrow¬ 
heads. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


131 


THE BOBOLINK. 

Do you know Mr. and Mrs. Bobo¬ 
link when you see them ? 

They come from the South in April 
or May. 

Mi*. Bobolink’s feathers are black, 
edged with yellow. There is some 
white on his back, and elsewhere 
there are bluish white markings. 



Mrs. Bobolink dresses very plainly 
in dark brown, with a yellowish vest. 
Mr. Bobolink is a very good singer. 


132 


SECOND SCIENCE EEADEE. 


He seems to be happier here than 
when he is in the South. 

While he was South he dressed like 
Mrs. Bobolink, and did not sing the 
song he sings for us. He only sang 
“Chink,” “Chink,” “Chink,” just like 
his mate. 

While the bobolinks are in the 
North their food consists almost en¬ 
tirely of insects and seeds from the 
various grasses. In September, when 
they leave us and go back to the 
South, they will stop eating grass¬ 
hoppers and bugs, and will feast on 
rice and grain. This causes them to 
be called rice-birds or reed-birds. 

The people in the South kill as 
many rice-birds as they can, because 
they eat the grain. 

The bobolink always builds its nest 
in a field or meadow, near a brook. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 133 

People, who have seen a bobolink’s 
nest, say it is concealed beneath 
grasses and bending twigs. It is 
made of dry grasses and tiny roots, 
and lined with softer pieces of grass. 
It is loosely put together and is not 
deep. 

The eggs vary in color from a light 
blue, spotted with brown to a clay 
color, spotted with different shades of 
brown. 

When the eggs are hatched, the 
father and mother take good care of 
the little birds, feeding them on 
grasshoppers and bugs, which the 
farmer likes to have killed. 

Soon after the baby bobolinks 
leave the nest they have to take care 
of themselves. 

The little birds look like the 
mother bird, and soon the gay father 


134 


SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 


bobolink puts on his sober dress for 
the South. 

In the autumn, when Mr. Bobolink 
has on his brown suit and only sings 
“Chink,” “Chink,” he does not seem 
like the same bright, happy bird he 
was in the springtime. 

How we did enjoy hearing him 
sing to wake up the buttercups and 
daisies! 

There is a "pretty little poem that 
ends. 

“Bob-o-link, bob-o-link, 

Spink, spank, spink; 
Bob-o-link, bob-o-link, bob-o-link urn, 
Chee, Chee, Chee! ” 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 135 

THE OWL. 

The owl makes its home in the 
woods. It rarely chooses any other 
place for its nest than a hollow tree. 

There is one kind of owl called the 
barn owl, that makes its home in 
barns. 



Owls are large birds, and are cov¬ 
ered with very soft feathers. The 
feathers are soft and downy, partly 
for warmth, but chiefly to help them 


136 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

fly quietly so they may catch their 
prey. They fly so quietly they can 
not be heard. 

Many owls have the legs and toes 
thickly covered with feathers to the 
very claws. Others have the toes 
and the lower parts of the legs bare, 
or covered with bristles. 

The feathers of some owls are 
brown, with a rusty-red tinge, while 
others are gray. 

There is one kind of an owl called 
the snowy owl. Tt is very pretty, and 
is called the snowy owl, because it 
is very large and has white feathers. 

The owTs head is large and round. 
Its beak is large and hard. 

The owl’s eyes are round and are 
very large. The owl can see very 
well at night. There is a little mem¬ 
brane about the owl’s eyes that it 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 137 

uses to shut out some of the light 
during the day. 

There are several rows of feathers, 
which begin on either side of the base 
of the owl’s beak and run above and 
around its eyes. These ruffs of 
feathers makes the owl’s eyes look 
very large and also direct the light 
upon the eyes. 

.Owls can hear very well. They caii 
even hear the soft tread of a mouse. 
Owls are the only birds that have an 
external ear. The ear is covered 
with feathers. 

The owl’s wings are large, covered 
with soft feathers, and move very 
quietly. 

The owl’s claws are large and 
strong. It can turn its toes in any 
way it wishes. 

Most owls scarcely move during 


138 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

the day, but remain at rest with their 
eyes partly closed. 

If an owl is disturbed during the 
day, it looks very queer. It opens its 
large eyes, raises itself up, but does 
not fly off its perch. 

Have you ever heard the owl’s 
queer song •? It is “tu-whit, to-who.” 
Listen for it some time when you 
visit the woods. 

The owl’s food consists of rats, 
mice, moles, large insects, and sad to 
say, it sometimes eats small birds. 
It catches its food at twilight or in 
the night. 

The farmer is glad to have the field 
mice and the rats caught, so the owl 
is very useful to him. 

The owl should be protected because 
of its usefulness. 


SECOND SCIENCE HEADER. 


139 


BIRD’S ENEMIES. 

We would like to think of the little 
birds as always happy, but they are 
not. 

Do you know anything that would 
make the birds unhappy ? 

They have many enemies and 
have as many reasons for being un¬ 
happy as we have. 

The birds know who their enemies 
are. 

Some large birds attack the smaller 
ones, but the little birds watch for 
them and try to keep out of their way. 

The little red squirrel, that we like 
so well, eats little birds and some¬ 
times breaks the bird’s eggs. 

Snakes also hurt birds. 

Cats try to catch birds. Sometimes 
they do catch them, but the birds fly 
away if they see the cats coming. 


140 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

Sometimes bugs and worms get 
into the nest with the little birds and 
kill them. 

Many, many birds are killed, 
so that ladies may wear them on 
their hats. Have you seen bird’s 
heads and bird’s wings on ladies’ 
hats ? 

I am sure no lady or little girl, who 
loves the birds, will wear any part 
of a bird on her hat. 

It is sad, indeed, to think of how 
many little birds are left without 
parents, because their father or 
mother were killed to be worn on 
somebody’s hat. 

Then, too, there are people who 
rob bird’s nests. I am afraid they do 
not think of how unhappy the mother 
and father birds feel when all the 
pretty eggs are taken away. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 141 

What can you do to prevent birds 
being injured or killed ? 

If people keep on killing the birds 
and taking their eggs, we will soon 
have no birds. 

We would miss their music. 

Birds are useful in many ways, and 
we must be their friends. 


THE BUTTERFLY AND THE MOTH. 

The body of the butterfly or moth, 
like that of any other insect, consists 
of three parts, the head, the thorax 
and the abdomen. 

The butterfly has two antennae or 
feelers, placed in sockets, one on each 
side of the head. They are long and 
jointed and have club shaped ends. 
They look like little clubs with long 
handles. 



142 


SECOND SCIENCE READER,. 


The moth, also, has antennae placed 
on each side of its head, but they are 
very different from the butterfly’s 
antennae. 



The antennae of the moth are al¬ 
ways slender and pointed, and are 
often beautifully feathered. 

Both of these insects feel and smell 
with their antennae. 

The butterfly and the moth each 
have two large compound eyes. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


143 


If yon could look at one of these 
compound eyes through a microscope, 
you would find it divided into many 
six-sided parts. Each one of these 
parts is a separate eye. So, you see 
butterflies and moths have a great 
many eyes, and can see very well. 

They can not move their eyes, but 
they can move their heads. 

There are many, little, fine hairs 
growing around the eyes. 

In front of the butterfly’s mouth is 
a neatly coiled tube, or tongue, almost 
covered up. This is the sucking-tube 
and it is used for drawing nectar from 
the flowers. The moth also has a 
sucking-tube. 

Both the moth and the butterfly 
have three pairs of legs and two pairs 
of wings attached to the thorax. 

The legs are small and weak and 


144 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


are covered with hair and scales- 
They do not often use their legs for 
walking, but use them when resting. 

The wings are very thin, and are 
covered with beautifully colored dust¬ 
like scales. If the wings loose the 
dust-like scales they become trans¬ 
parent. The wings of some butter¬ 
flies and moths are more beautiful 
than others. 

The upper surface of the butterfly’s 
wings is more gaily colored than the 
under surface. The under surface is 
very plain. 

When the butterfly is at rest it 
raises its wings perpendicularly over 
its back. 

The moth’s wings are brightly 
colored on both the upper and the 
under surfaces. When the moth is at 
rest its wings are not raised up like 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 145 


the butterfly’s, but are widely spread 
out. 



The moth flies much more slowly 
than the butterfly. Its body is usu¬ 
ally broader and stronger. There is 
more hair on the body of the moth. 

Most moths fly at twilight or in the 
night, while butterflies fly by day. 

Butterflies and moths are useful in 
carrying pollen from one flower to 
another. Their life is short but they 
help to make the world prettier while 
they live. 


146 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


The eggs of butterflies and moths 
may be found in different places. 
Sometimes they are on the under side 
of leaves, sometimes on cocoons, and 
sometimes on branches of trees. 

The eggs are white or cream color, 
and very small. They look like tiny 
seeds. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


147 


THE CATERPILLAR. 

Caterpillars come from the eggs of 
butterflies and moths. The cater¬ 
pillars that come from the eggs of 
the butterfly are very different from 
those that come from the moth’s eggs. 

As soon as the caterpillar comes 
from the egg it begins to eat, and in 
a few days it grows so large it has to 
have a new skin. It casts the old skin 
off, and in its new skin commences 
to eat again. This little caterpillar 
eats all the time, and as fast as it can. 
Before it gets to be a full grown 
caterpillar it usually has five changes 
of skin. 

Have you ever watched a cater¬ 
pillar eat? It opens its mouth in a 
queer way. 

The caterpillar has three pairs of 
legs and a number of conical feet. 


148 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


Caterpillars are either smooth 
skinned or more or less covered with 
hair. 

There is a tube, inside of the cater¬ 
pillar, containing a yellow silky liquid. 
The tube extends to the mouth of 
the caterpillar, and the silky liquid 
may be carried outside by means of a 
conical, jointed spinneret. 

When the liquid from the spinneret 
reaches the air it becomes a strong 
silk fiber. 



Here is a picture of a big green 
caterpillar that came from a moth’s 
egg. It is very common, and is 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 149 

usually called a green worm. 

You had better find one of these 
green caterpillars, or green worms, 
take it to your home, and watch it. 
Feed it green leaves. 

When the caterpillar gets full 
grown, it stops eating and prepares a 
house for its long sleep. 


150 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

THE COCOON. 

The house the caterpillar builds is 
called a cocoon. It likes to make its 
cocoon on a twig. 

It is very interesting to watch the 
caterpillar weave its cocoon or winter 
home. 

It begins its cocoon by expelling 
through the spinneret a small quantity 
of the silky fluid. 

It presses this fluid against the 
bark, to which it sticks. It then 
slowly raises its head, which it moves 
from side to side, drawing out through 
the spinneret a strand of silk, which 
it fastens to another place on the 
twig. 

After it fastens two or three main 
strands of this silky material, the 
caterpillar tests them to see that they 
are strong enough. 


SECOND SCIENCE READER. 


151 


By thus weaving from point to 
point and from thread to thread, it 
makes a solid shell. 

Inside this outer shell it weaves a 
sort of cushion, and inside of this 
another shell about double the thick¬ 
ness of the outside shell. 



The caterpillar, in building its 
cocoon or winter home, weaves itself 
inside. At the upper end of each 
part of the cocoon it leaves a part 
lightly woven so it may get out. 


152 SECOND SCIENCE READER. 

The color of the cocoon is usually 
a dark brown. In these little cocoons 
the caterpillar goes to sleep. It wakes 
up in the springtime, not a caterpillar, 
but a beautiful moth or butterfly. 


A BIRTHDAY. 

Some day in the early springtime, 
if you look carefully at some cocoons, 
you may find one that moves. Hold 
the cocoon to your ear, and as 
you listen you will hear a strange 
movement from the inside. 

Soon the fibers at the top of the 
cocoon, which are loosely woven, be¬ 
come very wet. 

It becomes wet in this place, be¬ 
cause the little insect on the inside of 
the cocoon sends a fluid from its 
mouth to destroy the loose fibers, so 
it can get out. 



SECOND SCIENCE READER. 153 

From this opening, thus secured, 
the insect soon pushes out a little 
round head with two bright eyes. 

Next may be seen the antennae, 
and then two little black legs. 

With the help of the little legs, the 
moth is soon out of its winter home, 
wings and all. 

The first thing the moth does after 
it gets out of the cocoon is to stretch 
its legs to see if they are all right. 

It then creeps, and tries to find 
some place where it can hang with 
its wings downward. The wings are 
very short, when the moth first comes 
out of the cocoon, but they grow 
very rapidly. They dry and harden 
as they are gently waved. 

Soon it spreads its beautiful wings, 
flutters a little, and flies away. 


INew .... 
Supplementary 
Reading . . . 



, ^ » , 

Victor ,n 
Buzziand. 

A Nature Fairy Story, by Mrs. A. F. 
Bell. Victor, a bright boy, visits the 
homes and haunts of the Bees, the 
Butterflies, the Ants, the Mosquitos, 
the Silkworms, the Spiders, Ftc.. Ftc. 
His visit, in Fairy form, by becoming 
one of the insects visited, reveals their 
habits in a very interesting manner. 

108 pages, illustrated, 12 mo. Paper, 
20 cents,, postpaid. Boards 25 cents, 
postpaid. 



Or First Lessons 
in Science . . . 
Reading . . 


Mature and 
History Stories 


By Flora Hicks. Fvery story in this collection comes fresh from use in the school 
room. They have all been used as supplementary reading. They were prepared with 
thonghtful care, are nicely illustrated, and, in many respects, excel anything in the 
market in this line. 

In "Nature and History Stories” the subjects are familiar and varied. Most of 
them easy to have in school rooms. There is variety of style, narrative, dialogue, solil¬ 
oquy. The statements can be generally proven by children’s observations. Sentences 
generally short and make single statements, making it easy for children to grasp the 
thought. We predict a very large sale for this work. 

Price, Paper, for use of Terchers, 20 cents; Boards, for use of Pupi's, 25 cents. 


The Talisman 
Story Leaves. 

A set 0.. 24 leaves, or 48 pages, of sweet stories for 2nd and 3rd grade pupils. Selected 
and adopted from The Talisman, by Anna Moris. These cards or leaves are 6x9 inches, 
and may thus be given to the pupils one at a time, so that the matter is always fresh. We 
know pupils will delight in these when read by them or as stories in the hands of the 
teacher. Price only 15 cents, or $1.44 per dozen sets. 


A. FLAMAGAM, Ghica^o. 


















Popular School lV[u^ic Boo^ 

By S. C. Hanson. 

THE CHEAPEST AND BEST SCHOOL MUSIC BOOKS 
PUBLISHED. THE SONGS IN THESE BOOKS HAVE 
RYTHMICAL WORDS AND CAPTIVATING MELODIES. 

THEY CHARM EVERY SCHOOL INTO WHICH THEY 
ARE —i 

IN early one quarter of a million of the first 
four mentioned books have been sold. . . . 

Their Success is Phenomenal! 

MERRY MELODIES. —Enlarged to 64 pages, manilla covers. 
15 cents per copy, or $1.50 per dozen, prepaid. * 

SILVERY NOTES.— {A book to follow Merry Melodies?) 48 pages, 
manilla covers. 15 cents per copy, or $1.50 per dozen, 
prepaid. * 

MERRY SONGS. —Including the Novel Key or Guide to the Art 
of Reading and Singing Written Music, also the Standard 
National Airs. Board covers; 118 pages, 86 of which are 
new music. 30 cents per copy, or $3.00 per dozen. * 

PRIMARY AND CALISTHENIC SONGS.— 100 pages, 75 of 
which are superb Motion and Calisthenic Songs, and 25 
are Musical Drills. A splendid hand-book for the Primary 
and Intermediate Teacher. 50 cents per copy, prepaid. * 

JUST OUT 

GOLDEN GLEES.— The Great Prize School Song Book. 
Comprising 173 pages of Choice Music written by the best 
Day School Teachers and Writers of Music in the United 
States, in competition for four cash prizes. This book is 
without an equal for 

Fresh Melodies, Beautiful Words, and Choice Harmonies. 

It also has 13 Pages of Patriotic Songs. 

We have put the price the lowest possible. 35 
cents per copy, board covers, or S3.60 per doz., net. 

A. FLANAGAN, = = = CHICAGO. 





V 


A mong m Giants 



T HE Giants are common every-day 
ones. They are the faults and 
failings often belonging to the 
young—such as Selfishness, Careless¬ 
ness, Bad Temper, etc. With the aid 
of the fairies, Truth, Self-control, Obe¬ 
dience and Honesty, the giants are in 
time slain. This is all worked into a 
pleasant story with boy and girl char¬ 
acters who are depicted as being trans¬ 
formed under the better influence of 
a gentle young girl into model young 
people. This book will do more to 
correct the faults of its readers than Talks or Lectures ever did. It is an 
excellent library book for every school or home. 


A VICTIM OF THE GIANT CARELESSNESS. 


Among the Giants” is a most interesting story. The lessons taught are so Im¬ 
pressive that they will be remembered by all. Every child should read it.— G. E. 
Weaver, Principal Art Department , Mt. Vernon (III.) College. 


Butler, Ind., June 24, 189$. 

I have just read ‘Among the Giants ’ to my children. One is five, the other seven 
years of age. They were thoroughly interested and rightly affected, judging by ques¬ 
tions asked. The older one cried at Mary’s misfortune. They were always pleased 
with Fenton’s success. The naughty boys were not a bit nice.” 

Yours truly, J. F. STOUGH. 

The book contains 122 pages, handsomely illustrated, durable cloth 
binding, and lists at 50 cents. 


j&oided of pjo^e [jodd and peroed 

T WENTY stories about Norse Gods and Heroes, for story telling, sup¬ 
plementary reading, etc. These stories have been tried, and pupils 
from 8 to 10 years of age are delighted with them. 

Miss Virginia Fogle, late training teacher in the State Normal School 
at Trenton, N. J., in speaking of using them by way of experiment says: 

“ The pupils’ deep interest in the stories justified the experiment. They told them 
a * - ro , ug ]? t , to s 9 h .° o1 papers containing pictures of Balder and Thor at the time 

ot the arrival of the viking ship, and begged me to sell the printed stories to them. 
I never had such interest with so little effort on my part.” 

Price, Paper Covers, 101 pages, 20 cents. 

** Board ** u 25 *• 

A. FLANAGAN. CHICAGO. 







Legends 

from the 

.... Red flan’s Forest. 

The author says, in “Preface”— 

“Dear Little People:— 

“As you read these stories, think of the time when this 
great country of ours had no cities, no railroads, no telegraphs, 
telephones or schools,—when not a white man lived here. 

“Then the dense forests, wide prairies, deep blue rivers and 
high mountains belonged to the red man. 

‘ ‘These stories which I have written for you were then told 
to the Indian boys and girls. Some were told in the far north, 
some in the south, others in the west, and others in the east. 

“And, as we read, let us remember, that in the long time 
ago the children believed these stories, which are to us like 
fairy tales.” 

The book is profusely illustrated, and makes charm¬ 
ing imaginative reading. 

Price, paper binding, 128 pp., 25c. 

The Pied Pipers 

and Other Stories. 

Who, as a child, has not been pleased with “The Pied Piper.” 
It is here furnished so as to be suitable for 

....SEGOND GRADE; READING .... 

The “Other Stories” are 

The Fisherman and Mis Wife. 
The Three Wishes. 

The Golden Touch. 

Rhcecus. 

They have been changed so as to be easily understood by 
Second Grade pupils and the nature of the stories is such that 
the child cannot fail in being benefited by reading them. 

The present edition is 59 pp. Price, 12c. or $1.20 per doz. 


M. FLffNSGSN, Chicago. 














































































































































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